Samurai Showdown Behind the Slaughter
by Mr. Lewis
Summary: Come with us as we go behind the scenes of Samurai Showdown in this Exclusive Documentary.


Samurai Showdown- Behind the slaughter  
  
Slicing, dicing and dismembering your opponents are just among the few things that occur in the world of Samurai Showdown. Stay with us for thrills, spills and instant kills as we go behind the scenes of the Samurai showdown world when we go....  
  
BEHIND THE SLAUGHTER  
  
Samurai Showdown- Behind the slaughter Part 1- brief introduction  
  
Samurai showdown (Samurai spirits in Japan) was released on July 7th 1993. It was originally based on the Neo-geo console. It was one of SNK's game series (among the great such as Fatal Fury, and Art of Fighting)  
  
Haohmaru (main character in SS)- Samurai showdown was one of the best weapons fighting game SNK made. It was a sure fire hit with fans. Nakoruru (SS Nature girl)- the series wasn't anything like your usual Street fighter crap, this had so many great styles, storyline and weapons. Amakusa- it even boasts some of SNK's best-designed characters, amongst games like Fatal Fury, and KOF.  
  
The idea came when SNK Big Boss, and mad genius, E Kawasaki accidentally cut his friend's hand off with a Katana.  
  
E Kawasaki (SNK Executive producer)- it was just a mess about between friends. It actually happened when we got drunk on a night out in a Samurai themed bar somewhere in Tokyo. I was so pissed that I got a Katana and started to swing it about an it accidentally cut my friends hand to bit (he chuckles) and that's when inspiration struck. Why not make a game where you can slice and dice our enemies to bits? I then started making a few crazy ideas on how it may look, and artists got to work on it straight away.  
  
Thought a painful experience at the expense of his friend, the incident was another of SNK's wild and wacky schemes that were eventually going to pay off, but they never ever expected the success of the series.  
  
E Kawasaki (SNK Executive producer)- the first success came as a bit of a shock at first. We didn't expect it to be so popular. Unfortunately, people only knew nothing but Street fighter II, and losers like Ryu and Ken and considered every other fighting game to be no hope rip offs. And when one of the fans actually wrote in to congratulate us for making the game, our faces lit up with tears of joy, literally. And then we thought, "Samurai Showdown is going to be among our own favourites such as Art of Fighting and Fatal fury."  
  
Story  
  
Near the end of 1788 various unusual incidents began to occur in the world. Sicknesses, unusual weather conditions and the never-ending wars caused people to be thrown into despair. This was all caused by the appearance of the evil Amakusa Shiro Tokisada. Twelve warriors, each with their own reason, came out to challenge Amakusa.  
  
Amakusa (boss of SS1, and 4)- My role in the plot was the big bad Christian sorcerer. Unfortunately, we couldn't figure out whether we wanted a male or female, so they producers thought that we could kinda do both. I was like "what's going on" and they said something along the lines of "don't worry, we're doing a little gender bending", and I was sceptical at first, but then, I thought "what the hell" and I started to feel comfortable with.  
  
(Rolls clips of Amakusa in action)  
  
Hanzo (SS Ninja)- when I saw an ad for SS1, it said, "wanted person to star in Samurai Showdown game", then I thought what the fuck, it had to be better than that my last crappy project. They were originally going to make me the referee for Samurai showdown, but when me and the SS crew went out for a pint at La illusions, I got so pissed that I started to play darts with a few shurikens that I got off e-bay, and the realised that I had mad skills, so here I am, Hattori Hanzo, the great Ninja ha, ha. For some reason, Kim Kaphwan was always hanging around me at the time. Don't know why.  
  
(Rolls clips of Hanzo in action)  
  
Haohmaru (main character in SS)- before I joined the SS crew, I was a trying out for a local rock band, the "Swinging Samurais", but I missed the part out, they said that my hair wasn't "Wild enough". A few weeks later, some agent knocked of my flat, and asked me if I would be interested in playing a main role in a beat em up game. I thought to my self, "if it's just going to be another Street Fighter imitation with me playing a different version of Ryu, then forget it." But then they said that I could use a weapon and I'll be having a personality, then I thought to myself "Yeah! Ryu never had any personality, but when I get rich off this, it'll make that bum's ratings take a nosedive" so straight away I got into the SS scene.  
  
(Rolls clips of Haohmaru in action)  
  
Ukyo (SS superstar)- SS needed a pretty boy quiet dude in SS, so I was set to go at the auditions, unfortunately I came down with something along the way, maybe it was from the New York taxi that I came to the studio in, but it could me to cough and vomit blood, and at first I thought I was fucked in my auditions, but for some reason, they saw something spectacular in this, they said it was "Original, and innovative". Well, it's not that I could ever complain anyway (laughs, then coughs up blood uncontrollably).  
  
(Rolls clips of Ukyo in action)  
  
Earthquake (biggest SS Ninja ever)- well as you know, ah'm from Austin, Texas, so ah'm not a used to being affiliated with Ninja tricks and all that hanky panky. Ah found out about this when ah was just a sitting in mah trailer home with mah Mama and Papa. Under extreme circumstances, they had to kick me out, because ah literally ate them outta house and home. So after eating all the turkey from the delivery train ah accidentally fell asleep and the next day, ah ended up near the SNK studios. Ah went in looking for some grub, when the SNK agents came up to me and said, "Wow. A big Texan trailer trash ninja would do great for the series", I didn't expect this to be a potential goldmine.  
  
(Rolls clips of Earthquake in action)  
  
Gen-an Shiranui (SS creature)- well I came to the studios, to visit my great niece, Mai. I thought that I'd surprise her during her Fatal Fury auditions. But I got distracted in the form of looking at King and Yuri in the changing rooms. I then got lost and ended up in the Samurai Showdown studios. They thought that a little green dude would do well for the series.  
  
(Rolls clips of Gen-An in action)  
  
Galford (SS Californian Ninja)- dude, before I was like totally into the Ninja scene, I was like a pioneer in the X-games, just like my little furry dude here. After retiring at the age of 15, I thought that I could never get a better thrill than this. But then my agent, Karman Cole phoned me and he told me about the spot at SNK. I thought it was totally Narly, dude, especially after I was ripped off from those narks from Capcom when I played Joe from SF1.  
  
(Rolls clips of Galford in action)  
  
Nakoruru (SS Nature girl)- well, I used to be, no I actually am a drug addict. It may not seem like it, but one time a took this drug that gave me such a trip, that it made me have 2 split personalities, good and evil, next day I woke up next to a Wolf and a Bird. Fucking mental. For some reason, I just got the part by the skin of my teeth, but then when I was caught in one of my trip, they surprising took interest in that. And thus I became a star. "A cute nature girl would be good for the game" they said and I thought "WO!!" how freaky it was, since I'm from a family of tree- hugging hippies.  
  
(Rolls clips of Nakoruru in action)  
  
Wan-Fu (SS Chinese King)- when I first did the show I was a fucking mass of blubber. I was like one of those couch potatoes, literally. They thought that they just put me in as a cannon fodder character. It wasn't until SS2 when I really started to shine. They gave me this cool rock that I won off the SNK auction. I actually got into the thing so much that I started doing exercises using it and I built up my body. They gave me a better role in the SS2 story.  
  
(Rolls clips of Wan-Fu in action)  
  
Tam-Tam (SS Tribal Aztec warrior)- I ended up on the show by fucking accident brethren. There I was, on my way to the Michael Jackson auditions for his "Black or White", from My village. You see he was doing a shoot where a few tribal guys dance with him, I even had the voice of Jackson, OW WOW WOWW!! I ended up in the wrong bloody place, and some SNK media guy tells me an insane Tribal warrior would be good for their new game.  
  
(Rolls clips of Tam-Tam in action)  
  
Now that you've seen you've met the original cast, we'll end this part's show. Tune in next time, a we have an exclusive interview with SS one-hit wonder, Nein-halt Sieger.  
  
Seiger (preview)- I didn't understand why people took offence to the Nazi craze. I wouldn't have done it anyway....  
  
Note- I love the Samurai Showdown series. SNK really hit the jackpot on this one. It's hard to pick a favourite character, since most of them are pretty cool.  
  
Note 2- if you listen closely to Tam-Tam's voice, it sounds like he is mimicking Michael Jackson. I'd keep Cham-Cham always from Jack-o If I were him.  
  
Note 3- Wan-Fu was pretty crap in the first samurai showdown game, but in the sequel, he improved a lot. After being given the change in weaponry, Wan-Fu buffed up a lot, as opposed to his SS1 incarnation, when he was just a fat bastard with a bastard sword (yes that's what the sword was called in those days, don't ask me why) he must've been on a fitness program. In a way Tam-Tam looked crap in his debut, but he also improved in SS4.  
  
Note4- If you look closely in some early stages, you'll notice that Kim makes a few appearances. Although it doesn't really make any sense history- wise, Kim makes some brief appearances in Samurai Shodown II! Sometimes, he will replace the Courier Man (the fellow who always keeps running in from the background and throwing things into the battle arena like bombs or chicken), but this time, Kim will rush in carrying his backpack with his Houou Kyaku! It is also said that he appears from time to time in the big cauldron of Gen-an Shiranui's stage. What the hell is Kim on nowadays? (Don't answer that!) 


End file.
